Political Science · Political Institutions in India
UGC NET Jan 2025 Political Science
Passage
The post-independence land-reforms were adopted broadly on the basis of the Kumarappa Committee. This Committee took, as its guiding principle, the elimination of exploitation and giving the land to the tiller. Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha (BPKS) was founded in 1929. It established a national presence in 1936 as the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). Swami Sahajanand Saraswati dominated the provincial organisations, and emerged as the foremost Kisan leader in India, and also headed BPKS in 1935. The formation of the Congress Ministry in Bihar in 1937 accelerated the process of showdown between the two organizations. Zamindars offered their help and co-operation in passing tenancy laws to improve the condition of the tenants. The post-colonial India including Bihar witnessed the emergence of the Congress as the dominant party in the political system. In 1952 elections, Jharkhand Party was the main opposition party inside the state legislature.
The important consequences of the 1952 general elections in Bihar were the emergence of two regional political parties, the Jharkhand Party and the Janta Party. The Janta Party was founded in 1950 by Raja Kamakhya Narayan Singh to build up a traditional opposition to Congress. Its political influence was confined mainly in south-Bihar. Until 1967, Bihar witnessed a one party dominance system i.e. the 'Congress system' as conceptualized by Rajni Kothari. Between 1967-69, elections witnessed a highly fractionalized multi-party system. The decline in the Congress electoral strength benefitted socialists and communists on the one hand, and the Jan Sangha on the other hand.
As per the paragraph, who headed Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha in 1935?
ARajendra Prasad
BSwami Sahjanand Sarswati ✓ Correct
CDaroga Prasad Rai
DRam Jaipal Singh
Correct answer: (B) Swami Sahjanand Sarswati — As per the passage, the Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha in 1935 was headed by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, which is option (2).
Explanation
★As per the passage, the Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha in 1935 was headed by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, which is option (2).
★Swami Sahajanand Saraswati was a sanyasi turned peasant leader who became the foremost Kisan leader in India.
★The passage says he dominated the provincial peasant organisations and headed the Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha in 1935.
★The Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha had been founded in 1929, as the passage notes.
★It grew into a national body in 1936 as the All India Kisan Sabha.
★Swami Sahajanand Saraswati became the first president of the All India Kisan Sabha when it was formed at Lucknow in 1936.
★The Kisan Sabha movement mobilised tenants and small peasants against zamindari exploitation and for tenancy rights.
★The passage notes that the formation of the Congress Ministry in Bihar in 1937 sharpened the conflict between the peasant body and landed interests.
★The demand to abolish the zamindari system and give land to the tiller was central to this movement.
★This aim echoes the guiding principle of the later Kumarappa Committee, the elimination of exploitation and land to the tiller.
★The option Rajendra Prasad is wrong, since he was a Congress leader and later President of India, not the head of the Kisan Sabha.
★The option Daroga Prasad Rai is wrong, since he was a later Bihar political figure, not the 1935 head of the BPKS.
★The option Ram Jaipal Singh does not fit, as he is not the leader named in the passage for the BPKS.
★The peasant movement led by Swami Sahajanand fed into the post Independence demand for land reform in Bihar.
★For NET, link Swami Sahajanand Saraswati to the Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha of 1929 and to the All India Kisan Sabha founded in 1936.
Want more like this? Create a free account to practise a full test, track your progress, and get spaced-repetition review.
Shared by Mcqkart · via Mcqkart.in
